Eldritch Horror Theatre

That the joys and sorrows of humanity are never truly shared has always been a profound truth.

Just because Chief Yuan couldn't perceive it didn't mean a dignified Tier 2 target couldn't feel it.

Although it wasn't a guaranteed trigger, after being struck by Mercy, the critical damage had clearly stacked up.

That was the main purpose behind that hidden sword strike just now.

Now it came down to just how confident His Excellency Laotian was in his physical combat skills.

After all, even with only the Calamity Blessing in effect, it hadn't seemed too eager to trade blows—

Fu Qian's anticipation lasted for less than a single breath.

The two Greatswords, already exaggerated in length, suddenly swelled in size once more. His Excellency Laotian swung them, crossing them like a pair of shears.

The radiant light clinging to them was so holy and dazzling that it illuminated the dark silver Armor on Fu Qian's body.

Unfortunately, when he collided with the two arcs of sword light while in the Blood Crusade State, the cross-dimensional execution effect didn't trigger.

That was because the two swords had already crashed into each other first, exploding into a surging wave of Feathers and fragments.

Under the cover of this dazzling spectacle, the holy body rapidly faded away.

"Where do you think you're going—"

Fu Qian naturally wasn't going to force his way into that storm of light just to show himself, but that didn't mean he planned to do nothing.

Continuing his sprint, he emerged from a corner safely outside the storm. He pulled out a pale, withered Dragon-Shaped Statue, locked onto the last trace of the target's aura, and activated it.

Typhoid Terror. He had conveniently brought it along when he returned from the Warehouse.

...

"Is it gone?"

Splendor is always fleeting. In mere moments, the shattered light faded into nothingness, followed closely by Chief Yuan's voice, thick with disbelief.

As previously stated, she had been keeping a close eye on the commotion outside.

"The emotional anomalies seem to have cleared up too."

Even so, Yuan Shan clearly adhered to the tactician's instructions. As she spoke, she maintained her absolute defense without the slightest slack.

"They should be, so you can drop your defense for now."

Such discipline was naturally something every tactician loved to see.

Fu Qian replied casually, signaling that they could take a short break.

"How are you holding up?"

Yuan Shan moved swiftly, revealing herself almost instantly. Though she hadn't shifted her position, she continued to shield Wen Li behind her.

"During that last stretch, it felt like time looped over and over again."

Even as she expressed concern for Fu Qian over in the corner, she had clearly noticed something, her expression turning solemn.

"Many times, indeed."

Fu Qian still didn't even look up, casually confirming her assessment.

It wasn't a surprising choice at all.

After His Excellency Laotian dodged the Physical Black Dragon Wave, Fu Qian's conversation with Yuan Shan had held nothing back, directly expressing their understanding of its Time Cage ability.

And the objective of its final strike had been incredibly clear: to stake everything on a single throw, going all out in close-quarters combat to find a prime opportunity for a lethal blow.

Under those circumstances, an Instant Hell Strike was almost guaranteed to trigger.

It was just a pity that the blessing from Mercy fell outside its calculations, causing its expected damage to skyrocket.

So much so that the final result was the entity probing his combat resolve and more of his "trump cards" before finally choosing "knowing when to stop."

And the ability it had activated early failed to achieve anything once again—though that wasn't an absolute certainty.

That final gift he sent had definitely hit its mark; he just didn't know if he would reap the bonus from it.

...

"What are you looking for?"

Having her assessment validated by Fu Qian, Yuan Shan clearly noticed his odd behavior. She followed his gaze and swept her eyes over the ground, but unfortunately found nothing.

"Nothing."

Only then did Fu Qian let out a regretful sigh. He shook his head, abandoning the idea of searching for the Nine Yin Manual.

"Are you holding up alright?"

That last question wasn't directed at Yuan Shan. Behind her, Wen Li had finally opened her eyes, looking over with visible exhaustion.

"I'm fine, just a little tired. Thank you both for all your hard work again."

Though her voice was weak, Wen Li immediately signaled for them not to worry and earnestly expressed her gratitude.

"You did exceptionally well; otherwise, this would have been much more troublesome."

Fu Qian just waved a hand, affirming her contribution in an unfussy tone.

Of course she was tired. She had fought above her weight class consecutively, and against two targets at once.

It was fortunate she was a Psychic Type. If it had been a muscle-brained brute, they probably would have only been able to cheer from the sidelines.

"I didn't expect it to be something so sinister... Should we head back to the Base first? I'm afraid it's still not safe here. What do you think?"

While they exchanged praises, Yuan Shan looked around and decisively reached a conclusion, asking for Fu Qian's opinion.

"No objections. It's better for the innocent bystanders, too."

Fu Qian naturally wouldn't refuse.

Going back was a given. Considering their safety was one thing, but fundamentally, this incident was only half-finished. Next up was the debriefing phase.

"What is this thing?"

Reaching a consensus instantly, Yuan Shan gestured for Wen Li to follow her. At the same time, she glanced at the new item Fu Qian hadn't put away yet and asked out of curiosity.

"A Meteor Launcher."

Fu Qian wasn't stingy about it, holding the Statue in his palm for her to admire.

"Of course, right now it might also be a Meteor Shower Launcher."

...

Seemingly concerned about the confidentiality of their communications, Chief Yuan didn't press the matter.

They hurried back at a much faster pace than when they came. The journey was exceptionally smooth, without a single obstacle.

"So who exactly was that?"

After safely arriving at the Night Watchers Base and arranging a place for Wen Li to rest, Yuan Shan practically sprinted straight for her office.

The moment she dropped into her chair, she asked this profound question.

"You're the Night Watcher, and you're asking me?"

Unfortunately, the only response she got was a look of utter disdain from Fu Qian.

"I've never heard of a Tier 2 like that before... but I'll find a way to confirm it."

After a moment of silence, Yuan Shan recalled the entirety of the thrilling dinner party. She had to admit that while the tactician's methods were decisive, he had clearly been deducing things through trial and error along the way; when it came to information, he seemed to be on the exact same starting line as her.

"Besides, the current situation doesn't seem to match our previous theories, does it?"

Sighing as she moved past the topic, Yuan Shan's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

"Why do you say that?"

Fu Qian merely blinked, returning the question with a smile.

"No matter what, that guy clearly wasn't Kelin—though, of course, we can't completely rule out the possibility that Kelin is connected to it."

"But despite going all out to test the waters this time, it seems we really didn't gather enough solid evidence."

It was obvious from her tone that Yuan Shan ultimately still didn't want to see internal problems within the organization.

"So what were you originally expecting from this test?"

Unfortunately, Expert Fu's smile didn't waver as he continued to fire back questions.

"A member of the Former Night Watchers Council, a Tier 2 Transcendent with deep foundations... Right in front of a figure like that, you thought we could snatch up concrete evidence to put her to death? Are you sure?"

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